


The Witch

by TheSoundOfThunderstorms



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Modern Witch AU, Mystery, additional characters to be tagged as they appear, get ready for a ride
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 22:46:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13821045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSoundOfThunderstorms/pseuds/TheSoundOfThunderstorms
Summary: "We found the witch."Fareeha didn't miss a beat. "You mean the doctor."Her partner ignored the correction. "She disappeared last night but my guys found her at her home about an hour ago. Got her in lockup as we speak."





	1. Burn

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really feeling the Pharmercy inspiration. This is the result of it. It might seem odd in some places but I promise I'll get to explaining more things at the story unfolds. Hope you have a good time reading.
> 
> Also! Special thanks to Theoroark, Lunari, and metalwarrior22 for the help with this fic. You guys are awesome :)

Fareeha waited patiently, watching the two men dig up the grave she investigated. The wind chill made her close her jacket tighter. The dampness from the morning rain did little to help with the cold.   
  
About four hours ago, the sheriff's office received a report from the local cemetery's grounds keeper. He explained that, last night, he saw a figure out past hours in the graveyard. He thought he was just seeing things because when he looked back to where the person stood, it was empty as ever. This morning when he came back to the cemetery to pick up his forgotten coat, he found the soil dug up around the grave he thought he saw someone at.   
  
Fareeha had the unfortunate luck with getting assigned the case. The better part of her morning was spent freezing her ass off in the cemetery after getting permission from the family to check out the grave.   
  
One of the men sighed in relief when his shovel hit something hard. He rushed to scoop off the rest of the dirt from the coffin, getting his partner to help him with it. They gagged at the smell after pulling it open.   
  
"Old lady's still resting, deputy." One of the men covered his mouth, desperate to distance himself from the smell.   
  
Fareeha peered into the grave and examined the corpse. The body of a silver haired woman still rested peacefully, her hands clutching a withered rose a decade old. The only thing Fareeha noticed was that the woman's lips were pulled taught, showing the array of missing teeth. Nothing out of the ordinary as far as dead bodies went. She mulled over the situation before sighing. "At least I can tell the family the good news." Her hand fiddled with the brim of her hat as she gave the body another glance. "Take a break before filling the grave back in."   
  
Spurred boots sounded from behind, stopping right by Fareeha. "So, do we have a corpse stealer on our hands?"   
  
"More like a dog making trouble," Fareeha eyed her partner from the side, "Too much trouble if you ask me."  
  
"Trouble aside, I got good news."  
  
"What's better than spending the morning digging up dead people?" She seeped in a breath through clenched teeth, watching the puff of air coming out of her mouth with each exhale.   
  
"We found the witch."  
  
Fareeha didn't miss a beat. "You mean the doctor."  
  
Her partner ignored the correction. "She disappeared last night but my guys found her at her home about an hour ago. Got her in lockup as we speak."  
  
"Jesse, she just saved a man's life. How does that make her a witch?" She had a hard time believing in anything supernatural, let alone witches.   
  
Jesse regarded her with guarded eyes. "I know you ain't been here long but trust me when I say that she's a witch. As long as she's breathing, it'll mean nothing but trouble for us. Nothing but trouble."  
  
He was right, Fareeha hadn’t been there long. She only got to town about four months ago and still hadn’t learned everyone’s little quirks. This one wasn’t little. "And why not let her go? Just send her packing out of town."  
  
"You don't let a witch live. That always comes back to bite you."  Jesse sighed and readjusted his hat. He looked about done with the conversation. "Town's already working on the pyre, she's gonna burn tonight. That's the end of it."  
  
Fareeha's blood chilled. "You're not serious are you?"  
  
Jesse didn't answer. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a cigar. The casual way he lit it made it clear that he wasn't listening to a damn thing she said.   
  
"She's just a doctor."  
  
Jesse peered down at the dug-up grave. He puffed out a cloud of smoke, readjusting the cigar with his teeth in thought. His hand grasped at his left arm, fingers feeling through the material of his jacket. Eyebrows furrowed, he glanced back at Fareeha with cold eyes. "She burns tonight." He turned around and walked away.   
  
Fareeha stared at her partner's retreating form, the trail of smoke serving to piss her off the longer she watched. In the few months she lived in this town, she never saw that side of him.   
  
-  
  
Fareeha filled out her report in her car. She didn't feel up to seeing Jesse now, let alone anyone else in the sheriff's office. Apparently, they stilled burned witches in this day and age. "This is insane."  
  
Her hand writing got a little sloppy but she didn't care. The only thing keeping her from tearing the report in her hands in half and getting the hell out of town was the idea that everyone knew something she didn't. She'd like to believe she lived with sensible individuals, that they wouldn't do something so reprehensible to an innocent woman.   
  
When she calmed down enough, Fareeha got out of her car and walked inside the Sheriff's Office. There weren't that many people. Some on lunch, the rest probably out on some call. She threw the report on her desk, ready to take a seat when a thought occurred to her.   
  
Fareeha glanced around the office, relieved to find Jesse nowhere in sight.  Setting her eyes on the hallway to holding, she made sure the only other person in the office was busy before walking over.   
  
The trip didn't take long in her hurry to get to the cells. She stopped right in front of the doctor, metal bars the only thing separating them.   
  
Dr. Ziegler was reading a book. Fareeha recognized it as one of the items left in the lost and found. The woman appeared calm, tranquil even. Like she didn't know what the town had planned for her. As soon as Fareeha stepped closer, she stopped reading in favor of getting a glimpse at her visitor. The doctor smiled at her, blue eyes seeming overjoyed to see her.  
  
"Hi." Fareeha mentally scolded herself for her lack of words. After all the concern she had for the woman, the best she could muster up was 'hi'.   
  
Dr. Ziegler’s smile grew. "Hello." She closed her book and shifted around so she was facing Fareeha.   
  
"Do you mind if I talk to you?"   
  
"Not at all. Everyone's been avoiding me for the past couple of hours. I was happy that I managed to convince one of those nice boys working here to get me something to read." She lifted the book, showing off the cover of a dog encyclopedia. "I'm learning a lot about dogs.” She gave a wistful sigh. “I’m sorry we can’t talk under more ideal circumstances.”

Dr. Ziegler seemed the same as all the other times they’ve talked. She always appeared happy to see her and was so considerate of Fareeha. Since the Sheriff’s office and her practice were across the street from each other, Dr. Ziegler would sometimes bring breakfast for Fareeha on days she was running late for her shift, somehow knowing that she skipped eating to make it on time.

Frankly, Fareeha was astounded on how nice this woman was. She couldn’t recall a single time Dr. Ziegler was in a bad mood. It was hard to think of her as anything but innocent because she was just a doctor, a compassionate one.

"Did you want something to eat?" Fareeha reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a granola bar. She held it out between the bars for Dr. Ziegler to take.   
  
"I'm not hungry but thank you for offering."  
  
Fareeha tugged the snack back, stuffing it into her pocket. With the offer of food off the table, she asked the question that had taken over her thoughts. "Are you afraid?" The comforting look Dr. Ziegler gave puzzled her.   
  
"No. But that might be because I feel so safe talking to you." She giggled, somehow finding humor in her situation.   
  
"They want to burn you."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Then how..." Angry fingers grabbed the bars to the cell. Fareeha squeezed tight, joints aching from the pressure, "How can you be so calm about all this?"   
  
Dr. Ziegler got up from the bench she sat on. She approached Fareeha with caution, warm eyes smiling the whole time. "I always have a choice. I chose not to cry about it." Her hand reached out, barely caressing tightly wrung fingers clutching the bars.   
  
That didn’t make any sense. "Dr. Ziegler, I-"   
  
"Angela, call me Angela. I'd much prefer you use my first name."  
  
"Angela." Fareeha's heart stuttered. It felt too much to have Angela comforting her when it should have been the other way around. "You shouldn't even be here. You did nothing wrong." She pressed her forehead against the bars, impatience and overwhelming sadness blooming in her chest.   
  
"It'll be alright."  
  
"Not for you."  
  
"I'm okay with that."  
  
A heavy tear rolled down her cheek. "You shouldn't be." Fareeha huffed in a breath when cool fingers gently wiped away the wetness shining around her eyes.   
  
A loud banging startled the two of them. Fareeha let go of the bars, wiping away the remaining tears with her shirt.   
  
Another deputy stood at the doorway with a frown on his lips. His nose crinkled like he just sniffed something rotten. "Sheriff said not to talk to her. It's bad enough she got someone to bring her things. We don't need her sweet talking you into letting her go."  
  
Fareeha looked to Angela from the corner of her eye, her face was stoic, blue eyes refusing to look at the other deputy. "I was just leaving."   
  
"Maybe you can put in a word about that smell. It's awful in here."  
  
There was no smell. At least, she couldn't tell. One look at her coworker holding his nose and waving at the air told her otherwise. "Yeah, sure."  
  
Angela reached out for Fareeha, tugging on her jacket sleeve to get her attention.  She drew a smile on her face, letting go of the sleeve when Fareeha gave her a weak grin in return.   
  
Back at her desk, Fareeha barely had any time to think about the condemned woman before she was sent out on a domestic dispute call.   
  
All the way on the other side of town, Fareeha spent hours trying to get the yelling couple to stop fighting. Dealing with the emotional side of bickering people wasn't part of her training, but she picked up a few things in the many domestic dispute calls they sent her on. Namely patience. In this case, two hours worth of it.   
  
Fareeha finally got somewhere after she managed to convince them to take the argument inside. In a polite manner, she asked the couple to sit down and they calmly talked through the issue.   
  
She nearly sighed when, after all that arguing, the whole thing came out as a misunderstanding. Of course, sighing would have been unprofessional.   
  
"So, we're good here? I don't need to ride back with another passenger?" She pulled out her handcuffs and jingle them around her finger. "Got them nice and warm."  
  
She received bashful laughter for her efforts.   
  
"Alright, don’t make me have to come back." Fareeha left the house, giving a wave before shutting the door behind her.   
  
She let out a held breath after the door closed, letting a frown overtake her lips. Her heart pounded at the midday sun. Precious daylight ticked away, a countdown for the doctor's fate. Her efforts to calm down had no effect; no matter the excuse they'd give her, the painful squeeze of her heart screamed for action, to do something, anything.   
  
Before, Fareeha didn't pay it any mind when Jesse made mentions about a witch. She thought he was playing around, some prank played on the newest deputy. But now that she knew he was serious, that in just a few hours they planned to burn an innocent woman with the whole town watching, she couldn't bear it.   
  
Fareeha balled her fists and made up her mind on what to do. It was simple. Let her go. She had the keys and she’d deal with the consequences later. Rushing to her car, Fareeha turned it on before she was buckled in all the way. She barely recognized that she drove, all the street signs and traffic lights passed by in a blur.   
  
At the Sheriff's Office, she parked her car crooked, stomping out with a destination in mind. She didn't give any of her fellow deputies a passing glance on her walk to lock up.   
  
With the cells in view, she dug into her pockets and pulled out her keys. Except she didn't need them because Angela wasn't there. A janitor stood in her place, mopping up the floor, muttering to himself about a stink.   
  
"That couple give you any trouble?"   
  
Fareeha whipped around at Jesse's voice. "Where is she?"   
  
"Don't you worry about that. Just moved her is all." His fingers messed with the brim of his hat, eyes staring down the keys in Fareeha's hands. "Hope you weren't planning anything with those keys."  
  
Fareeha shoved the keys back in her pocket. Her lips set in a frown. "Where is she?"   
  
Jesse sighed at Fareeha's persistence. "Like I said, you don't gotta worry about it." He straightened up. "Besides, sheriff wants to talk to you. Best get to it before he runs out of patience."   
  
Fareeha didn't speak after that. She shoved passed Jesse and walked to Morrison's office. Knocking once, she entered after a gruff voice gave her permission to.   
  
"Take a seat Amari, we're going to talk."  
  
"You're finally going to explain why in the hell the town's burning an innocent woman tonight?" Fareeha slumped down onto the uncomfortable chair in front of the Sheriff's desk.   
  
Morrison reached into a drawer and dropped a folder in front of Fareeha. He pushed it closer to her, opening the top for Fareeha to see. "You weren't here seven years ago."  
  
Staring at her was photo of a man in the forest. His body leaned against a tree. The most striking feature about him being that his eyes were gouged out. She flipped to the next picture, feeling the bile rise to her throat. A slew of bodies littered the forest floor, every single one of them naked and missing limbs.   
  
"That's what happens when you let a witch live. That's what happens when it's too late to do anything."  
  
The folder held countless photos, each one making Fareeha want to vomit right on Morrison's desk. "I don't..." She couldn't speak when she turned to the last photo.  Her mother's lifeless body lied on a table. Her right eye was missing.   
  
A fit of anger rose through the nausea. "You told me she died of heart failure. You _showed_ me the medical records."  
  
Morrison let out a held breath. "Ana told me she wanted you to stay out of this, that if something ever happened to her, you wouldn't be dragged into it. She always thought about you, even though the two of you hadn't spoken in years."  
  
Fareeha trembled at Morrison's words. She didn't know how much more she could stand to hear. "What does this have to do with Angela?" She brought the conversation back to Angela, feeling incredible guilt bearing down on her the longer she stared at her mother's photo.   
  
"We never found that witch. After your mother, she vanished. It means she's still out there, doing unspeakable things to countless more people." Morrison closed the folder to get more of Fareeha's attention. "We have a chance to prevent another incident like that from happening. This town still remembers and that's why that witch burns tonight. Jesse’s been telling me about how uncomfortable all this makes you. I get what it must look like. Angela seems nice and she might treat you kindly but that’s how it was last time. Please understand that we can’t let a witch live.”  
  
Despite her conscious screaming for Angela's innocence, Fareeha took pause to consider Morrison's reasoning. She didn't believe in witches but the photos were sickening, everything about them unnatural. "How do you even know Angela is a witch?"   
  
Morrison opened his drawer again and pulled out a necklace. He held it above the desk and pointed to the stone attached to it. "It glows in the presence of the supernatural. Jesse made sure with his own. Hell, if you take this to the cell she was in, it might still glow." He tossed the necklace to her. "Why don't you keep that and see for yourself."  
  
Fareeha fiddled with the necklace in her hands, fingertips going over the grooves in the stone before sliding it in her pocket. "Is that all?" She wanted to leave.   
  
"Just one more thing. I need you there at the burning tonight. Crowd control. You can take the rest of the afternoon off."  
  
She nodded mindlessly, leaving his office soon after.   
  
Fareeha hardly noticed her feet took her to the holding cells. Curiosity got the better of her. She pulled the necklace out of her pocket and examined it. As far as she could tell, the damn thing didn't glow.  
  
Before leaving, her eyes spotted the light switch on the wall. It was close enough for her fingers to reach. The lights flickered off with one touch and Fareeha stared at the stone in her hand with wonder. A faint glow pulsed from within. She squeezed the stone in thought. Now there were too many questions and not enough answers.

-

The door slammed behind her. Fareeha tossed off her shoes, watching them thud to the ground one after the other. On the drive home, her thoughts kept coming back to her mother. The whole reason she moved to this town in the first place was because she wanted to be closer to her.

Fareeha could never forget the day a lawyer got in touch with her about property she supposedly owned, an inheritance from her mother who had died seven years ago. She thought that moving to the town where Ana was buried would somehow make up for their lost time. It was the best she could do when it came to communicating with someone long dead.

A meow echoed from the kitchen. Miss Purrfect must have heard Fareeha get home and decided that it was the best time to beg for food. Fareeha moved from the front door when the meows grew in insistence. For now, feeding her cat was a good distraction. “Alright, alright. You’ll get your food.”

The kitchen wasn’t far, just a few good steps from the front door. Miss Purrfect sat on top of the small table, her purring audible when Fareeha got closer. When Fareeha was near enough, the cat crossed the table and rubbed her head against Fareeha’s arm. Her purring got louder, tail puffing out from her good mood.

Fareeha gave her cat a couple of ear scratches before searching for the cat food. She usually had it under the sink. “Miss Purrfect…” The bottom cabinet door hung open and Fareeha could see the giant hole ripped into the bag of cat food. “Something tells me you’re not hungry.”

Deciding to deal with the mess later, Fareeha walked over to the fridge and opened it. She leaned on the open door, tired eyes browsing through her limited selection. “You mind if _I_ eat something?” Miss Purrfect meowed in response. Fareeha grabbed her leftovers from last night and dumped them onto a plate.

While she waited for her food to heat up in the microwave, Fareeha slumped down into a chair and stared at her cat. Miss Purrfect stared back for a bit before rubbing her head underneath Fareeha’s chin. When Fareeha went to pet her affectionate cat, a tear dropped onto her hand.

More tears came, enough that she forgot about her food in the microwave. She didn’t even realize she was clutching onto Miss Purrfect until the cat started licking her arm. “I don’t know,” her lips trembled as she spoke, “I don’t know what to do.”

Her body numbed at the thoughts swirling through her head. Thoughts of her mother and how they hadn’t spoken for so long. The fact that she didn’t even know Ana was dead for seven years. It made her sick to her stomach remembering that photo. It hit worse knowing she was killed.

They wanted her to watch Angela burn. Despite what Morrison told her, Fareeha couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it. All they cared about was doing what they should have done seven years ago. She understood where they were coming from but it still didn’t seem right.

Fareeha pushed Miss Purrfect away, clutching her head between her palms to try and control the shaking. She didn’t know what to do and it frustrated her to no end.

-

Soft paws swatted at her arms. Fareeha lifted her head, noticing how it had gotten dark. “Shit.” She bolted out of her chair, wincing at the pain of aching joints as she rushed to the door. Fareeha was grateful that she still wore her jacket because as soon as she stepped outside, the cold air sent a shock through her system.

The cold helped to distract from the dried tears marking her face and the anxiety inducing thoughts that kept Fareeha at the table for hours. “Never thought I’d appreciate the cold.” Fareeha hurried into her car when the wind picked up.

The drive didn’t take long. After slamming the door in her parking space, Fareeha nearly blanched at the amount of people that showed up. The crowd spilled out onto the street, a sea of red faces yelling at the unlit pyre. Her stomach churned from looking at them.

“Didn’t think you were gonna show.”

Pins and needles ran up her spine when Jesse patted her on the back. “Morrison said I’m on crowd control.”

“Yeah, pretty much had to threaten everyone here with a ticket to keep them from throwing stuff. Keeps the streets tomato free.” Jesse scanned the crowd. “I take it Jack got you caught up.” He had an uncomfortable frown as he brought up the subject.

“Yes.”

“Alright then.” He sighed at the curt reply. “It’s for the best. I’m aware you don’t like it, and I know she’s been nice, especially to you, but please know that people are going to be better off.”

The jeering from the crowd intensified. Fareeha searched for the source in a panic. She spotted Morrison coming down into the street, Angela in front of him. Her hands were handcuffed and she smiled every time Morrison pushed her to go faster.

“Looks like our guest of honor just arrived.” Jesse reached for his left arm, squeezing it beneath his jacket.

Fareeha ignored the comment in favor of focusing back on Angela. The condemned doctor didn’t appear fazed in the slightest. If she listened in enough, she could have sworn she heard Angela telling jokes.

At the base of the pyre, Angela eyed the wooden structure and whistled. “Is this for me?”

“Get on.” Morrison pushed her again, eye twitching at the grin he received in response.

“You know Jack, if I knew it was going to be like this, I wouldn’t have given you the Sheriff’s discount for your last visit.” Angela used the step ladder provided to climb onto the pyre. She leaned against the wooden beam casually, patiently waiting for whatever came next.

Jack climbed up after Angela and tied her bound hands to the beam. He jumped down after testing the strength of the knot, pulling the step ladder away from the pyre. He passed two deputies on his way, sighing deeply. “Light her up.”

Fareeha ignored Morrison when he placed the step ladder next to her and sat down. Her eyes were fixed on the smoke and the small flames eating up the kindling and growing stronger with each passing second. She wanted to run in and cut Angela free. She wanted to feel anything but helpless and frustrated. Morrison was sitting right beside her and there was no doubt in her mind she’d be tackled to the ground before she could get two steps in.

She gathered her willpower to look up from the fire. All she could see was Angela. How Angela smiled down at her, face calm and not a hint of fear. Even when her dress caught fire and the flames scorched her flesh, Angela didn’t make a sound. There a was certain beauty with the silence of the crowd, how they joined Fareeha in awe of the woman who knew no pain.

When the smoked cleared, the charred remains of Angela lied in a heap among the burnt wood. Jesse stared them down after the crowd had left. Curious lips set in a frown as he thought.

“You mind fetching the others to help clean this up? Gotta sweep up the ash, clear out the wood, and dump the bones somewhere.”

She spoke before thinking. “I’ll take care of it. The bones.”

“There’s a box out there on the sidewalk. Take ‘em to the woods.”

-

The box sat neatly in the passenger seat. Fareeha hadn’t moved from her car after driving up to the woods. She sat there, hands squeezing around the steering wheel while she stared out into the night.

“I’m sorry.” The bones were never going to speak back but she felt the need to say something. Anything at that point.

Unbuckling herself, she grabbed the box and headed out of the car. The crunch of sticks and dried leaves sounded her way into the dark woods. Fareeha held her flashlight in one hand, lighting her path through the darkness. She found a clearing with an old tree.

Setting the box down Fareeha got down to her knees and dug out a hole at the base of the tree with her gloved hands. Jesse told her not to bother with burying the remains, telling her it was more than a witch deserved. Fareeha couldn’t find it in her heart to do it, so she dug into the earth, ruining her gloves with each scrape against the dirt.

Fareeha sat next to the box and waited, her puffs of breath filling the chilly air. Back in town, she grabbed the bones quick, not giving herself any time to look at them. Now that she was burying them, it felt disrespectful to just dump them in the hole and leave.

A shaking hand reached into the box and pulled out a charred bone. It was covered in black ash and felt brittle. “I wish I could have done something more for you.” Angela radiated kindness. In the short time she’d known her, Fareeha was shown nothing but good will and hospitality. It should have been the other way around. “I don’t know if you would have done those things Morrison showed me but you were nothing but kind to me.”

The box was empty, save for the skull. Fareeha picked it up, examining it in her gloved hands. Guilt and remorse filled her the longer she stared. Her fingers touched the jaw and she was reminded of the smile Angela had as she burned. A few teeth were missing. They probably got buried in the ashes. Fareeha chided herself for not noticing sooner.

“I can’t even bury you right.” Fareeha placed the skull on top of the pile of bones and covered them with dirt. She patted the ground, making sure to pack the soil in tight. The wind picked up. Fareeha grabbed the box and walked back to her car. She wanted to stay longer but she couldn’t handle the cold air. It crawled under her skin, chilling her right down to her core.

On the drive back, she passed by the town square where the burning took place. Spotless. Not a shred of evidence of what happened.

Fareeha got out of the car after parking in her driveway. She kicked the excess dirt from her shoes before going to open the front door. The locked clicked open with the turning of a key and she twisted the knob. Miss Purrfect came flying out.

The cat ran through Fareeha’s legs and out onto the lawn. She showed no signs of stopping. Fareeha kicked the door closed and chased after the cat.

She ran on adrenaline, barely noticing how far Miss Purrfect took them. Fareeha focused on avoiding obstacles like puddles, trashcans, and mailboxes. Fortunate enough for her, Miss Purrfect ran in a straight line. Her eyes never lost sight of the cat. Until they reached the edge of town where the cat slipped into the dark woods.

“Dammit.” Fareeha left her flashlight in her car. She debated going back home and hoping that her cat would find its way back. The yipping of a coyote in the distance decided for her. No way in hell Fareeha was going to let her cat get eaten.

The dim light from her phone lit the way. Amidst the crunch of the leaves as she walked, Fareeha listened for any signs of her cat. At that point, she’d take any cue that led to Miss Purrfect. The cold was starting to make her joints ache.

In the middle of a familiar clearing, Fareeha found Miss Purrfect scratching up the old tree from earlier that night. She walked slow, careful steps towards the cat. Any wrong move and she was sure Miss Purrfect would bolt out of there in her nighttime excitement.

Fareeha jumped for her cat and fell flat on her face as Miss Purrfect jumped out of the way and back into the darkness of the woods. “Dammit.” Frustration took over, hot tears spilling down her face. It hit harder knowing that she was at the same spot she buried the bones. “Dammit.”

Tears streamed freely as she sat by the tree. After everything that happened that day, her cat decided to run away too.

“Something wrong?”

Fareeha tensed up at the voice. “I just…” She lifted her head, wide eyes staring at the woman standing before her. “I just buried you.” Angela looked worse for wear with tangled blonde hair and dirt smudged skin. She was holding Miss Purrfect. The cat purred loudly in her arms.

“That’s strange. I thought I was standing right here.”

“I saw you burn.”

“You saw someone that looked like me burn.”

“No, no, no. I’m seeing things now. This isn’t happening.” Fareeha closed her eyes and refused to open them.

“I’m not going away just because you closed your eyes.”

Fareeha didn’t answer. She ignored Angela’s words and concentrated on breathing. Maybe if she sat there long enough, everything would go back to normal. Cold fingers touched her face, frightening her out of her thoughts. When she opened her eyes again, Angela was sitting next to her petting Miss Purrfect.

“I promise you you’re not seeing things.”

A lot of things weren’t making sense that day. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“What do you want to know?”

Fareeha started off with the first question that popped into her mind. “Are you what they say you are?”

“A witch?”

“Yes, that.”

“I think by now you should know the answer to that question.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

Angela shrugged. “Yes, I’m a witch.”

Fareeha chuckled to herself. If Angela was a witch, then that meant everything Morrison told her was also true. She didn’t want to believe any of it. “So, who was it that burned?”

“Hmm, I believe the gravestone said it was a Ms. Juliet Rose. A woman who died ten years ago.”

Some pieces started to click. “What do you mean?”

“They wanted a body so I gave them one.” Angela let go of Miss Purrfect in favor of hugging her knees. “I know some spells.”

“What about when I had to dig up that woman’s grave? Her body was still there.”

Angela shook her head. “That was a doll I made. Took me a while to put together.”

“Did you know what happened here seven years ago?” The pictures of what happened in those same woods floated to the top of her mind.

“In a sense, yes.”

“Then why would you come here?”

“I prayed about it and I felt that the risk was worth it.”

“So you’re here for something.”

“I’m here to protect something or rather someone.” Angela sighed. “There’s someone out there with a corrupted vision of the world. I’m here to make sure they don’t get to see their vision fulfilled.”

Fareeha caught Angela’s gaze, intense blue eyes never leaving hers. “Who…” Cold fingers wrapped around her own and pink lips smiled at her. “Who are you trying to protect?”

“You.”

 

 


	2. Business As Usual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fareeha finds there's more going on than she imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More things added to slowly unfold. Special thanks to app_jelly and Tygerrtygerr for helping me with this chapter.

“Are you stalking me?”

“No!”

“You came all the way here because of me. It sounds a little…suspect.” Fareeha scooted away a bit to put some distance between them.

“Yes, I will admit it might be a little concerning coming from your perspective, but,” Angela reached out for Fareeha, letting her hand drop unceremoniously when brown eyes regarded her hand with suspicion, “believe me when I say I didn’t know I was looking for you until I got here.”

Fareeha frowned. “That’s not very helpful.”

“It’s hard to explain.”

“Then I think I’m done with the questions for now.” Fareeha let out a sigh and stood up. She brushed the crushed leaves from her pants and extended a hand to Angela. “There’s so much I want to ask but I don’t plan on figuring it all out while freezing my ass off. Plus, you don’t seem too keen on telling me everything.”

Angela took Fareeha’s hand, standing up after a helpful tug. “I’m not trying to hide things from you Fareeha. Even I don’t have all the answers to why I’m here.”

“Okay.” Fareeha bent over and scooped up her cat when Miss Purrfect came to rub up on her legs. “Would you have any answers to some less complicated questions?”

“Like what?”

“Where did you stay last night?”

“Here.” Angela hurriedly expanded on her statement when Fareeha’s eyes widened. “I didn’t sleep, I just meditated. I needed to focus on the body.” She blinked in surprise when a familiar granola bar reappeared in front of her.

“Where do you plan on staying then?” Fareeha’s lips twitched up in satisfaction when Angela took the offered food.

Angela opened the granola bar and scarfed it down in a few seconds. “I didn’t plan that far ahead. I still want to stay in town though. Because… You know.” She gestured to Fareeha. “It just might have to be the woods again.”

“You can stay with me.” The words came flooding out without a second thought. “If your only option is to stay in the woods again, I think my guest room is at least a slight improvement.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Is that a yes?”

“If you don’t mind.”

Fareeha grinned and pulled out her phone. She turned the flashlight on and waved in the direction she came from. “Home’s this way.”

Crushed leaves and branches marked their path out of the woods. They walked at a brisk pace, Fareeha mumbling something about the cold whenever the wind chill got to her. When houses came into view, Fareeha stopped in her tracks.

“I know this is a bad idea for me but,” she put her cat down, trusting she wouldn’t run off again and took off her jacket, “here.”

“Fareeha you’re freezing. I’m okay.”

“Yes, I’m freezing, but I can suck it up until I get home. You on the other hand, you just supposedly burned for the whole town to see. It’s going to raise a lot of red flags if people recognize you.”

Wide eyes flitted between Fareeha and the jacket. Angela took the jacket and slipped it on, pulling the hood over her head when it was buttoned up. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Fareeha scooped up her cat again. “Let’s hurry before I actually freeze out here.”

After making it back to her house in record time, Fareeha opened the front door with frozen fingers. She walked inside first, putting Miss Purrfect down in the hallway. When she heard Angela close the door, she turned around to face her.

“Huh.”

Angela crossed her arms, wary of what Fareeha had to say. “What?”

“It’s just that I didn’t notice the twigs in your hair until now.”

“Fareeha, there are no twigs in my hair.”

“Bathroom’s first room on the left if you want to see that I’m right.”

Angela’s face fell. She almost tripped on her way to the bathroom, touching her hair all the while. She came out after a few minutes, face ten shades of red. “Is it alright if I take a shower?”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll get you some clothes.” Fareeha smiled as she walked past Angela on her way to her room. She picked out something comfortable and rushed back to hand them to Angela. Angela took them, face still red and disappeared behind the bathroom door.

Twenty minutes after Angela went to shower, she found Fareeha in the kitchen and took a seat at the small table.

“Twig free now?”

Angela nodding, smiling. “Twig free.” She ran a hand through her damp hair, illustrating the fact. “I actually wanted to know if you could help me with something.”

“Yeah sure, what do you need?”

“A haircut. So people don’t recognize me.”

Fareeha opened a drawer and pulled out some scissors. “All I have are these kitchen scissors.”

Angela eyed the scissors with an unreadable expression. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

Shrugging, Fareeha closed the drawer and walked behind Angela. “How much do you want cut?”

“I always wanted to try short hair. I should probably get it dyed, too, but that’s for another time.”

“Alright. No guarantee that it’ll look good, but I’ll try.”

Angela laughed. “I trust you.”

Trying her best, Fareeha cut Angela’s hair, convincing herself that she knew what she was doing. After about fifteen minutes she put the scissors down and nodded proudly at her work. “I think I’m done.”

“How’s it look?”

Fareeha stepped around the chair and examined her handiwork. She smiled after a few seconds. “Pretty cute.” Digging into her pocket, she pulled out her phone so Angela could see herself with the camera.

“You think so?” Angela held out the phone taking pictures of every angle and reviewing the photos afterward. Miss Purrfect jumped up into Angela’s lap. Angela took the opportunity to pose with the cat in her photos.

“Well, now the cat enhances the look.”

“So I should take her everywhere I go to look extra cute?”

Fareeha nodded. “Definitely. I just might get a little jealous if you end up stealing my cuddle buddy.”

“She sleeps with you?” Angela gave Miss Purrfect an odd look like she was somehow offended by the statement.

“Every night.” Fareeha yawned.

“Tired?”

Fareeha nodded. “I don’t know how you’re not passed out already. You haven’t slept in who knows how long.”

“Oh, you know, trying to stay alive tends to keep you awake.” Angela paused, her smile fading. “And that reminds me…” She looked up at Fareeha with guilty eyes. “I know you’ve done so much for me, but I need to know if you could do a favor for me tomorrow.”

-

The next morning, Fareeha stepped through the doors of Angela’s clinic. A couple of deputies were already there, searching the building for anything suspicious.

She walked up to the nearest deputy. “Where is he?”

He pointed to a room down the hall. “It’s best to steer clear for now. We don’t know what could happen.”

“I’ll take my chances.” Fareeha walked past the deputy, stopping in front of the room. She reached for the handle. A nurse spoke up before she could open the door.

“He should be dead.”

Fareeha dropped her hand, turning around to face the nurse. “Excuse me?”

“I saw what happened.” The older woman had her arms crossed and her brows furrowed. “That boy sold his soul.”

Fareeha eyed the door. “Is he…”

“He’s still alive. He shouldn’t be, but he is.”

She reached for the handle again. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll be careful.”

The nurse shook her head as she walked away. Despite her warnings, she seemed scared when Fareeha pushed open the door.

The room was dark and a gut-wrenching smell swirled about. Blood and rot. Fareeha flicked the lights on. A groan immediately followed. On the examination table lied a man, his feet hanging off the edge. Deeps wounds littered his body and the tips of his fingers and toes were dark purple.

“Genji?” She stepped closer to him.

“Water.”

Quick eyes spotted the sink. Fareeha searched the cabinets until she found a stack of paper cups. Filling up a cup, she set it down on the counter and helped Genji when she noticed he was trying to sit up.

“Here.” She reached for the cup on the counter and handed it to him.

Genji drank the water in silence. Crumbling the cup, he asked, “Who are you?”

“Fareeha, Angela asked if I could check on you.”

He bowed his hand and gave a sad smile.

“Can you walk?”

“Yes, but it hurts.”

“Then let’s get you out of here.” Fareeha helped Genji off the bed and they walked out of the room with her supporting him.

They walked by the other deputies, but no one said a word. The deputies moved out of the way when Genji walked by them as if they were afraid to get too close.

As they walked out the front entrance, they stopped in front of Jesse. He locked eyes with Fareeha, shifting his gaze to Genji. His eyes widened and he reached for his left arm, clutching the jacket firm. Jesse backed up a bit, a tinge of fear in his eyes.

“Fareeha-”

“Save it for later Jesse, I’m getting him out of here.” Fareeha moved past him and Jesse almost tripped over himself trying to get out of the way.

Once she got Genji inside her car, she climbed in as well. Gripping the steering wheel, she watched Jesse through the windshield. He gritted his teeth, grimacing at the ground before storming off across the street and disappearing into the Sheriff’s office.

The drive was silent. Fareeha kept going until she saw the city limits sign. Parking the car on the side of the road she turned to Genji. “What the hell happened?”

She tried to get eye contact but Genji refused to look at her.

“I…” He closed his mouth.

Slumping back in her seat, Fareeha sighed and closed her eyes. “I can’t help unless I know what’s going on.”

“There’s no help for me.”

She opened her eyes, shifting her head to the side to look at him. Genji finally met her gaze, eyes red with tears threatening to fall.

“I’m going to die and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

An earlier conversation came to mind. “The nurse…” She watched as he stared down at his fingers, the dark-purple tips twitching from his shaking hands. “the nurse said you sold your soul.”

He dropped his hands. “I did.” The tears finally fell. “I did. I couldn’t do what she asked so now she’s going to take my life back.”

Fareeha straightened up in her seat. “Who are you talking about?”

“The witch.”

Her mind flickered back to Morrison’s office, to the photos from the folder. “What did she want you to do?”

He quieted down and stared out the window. “I was sent here to kill the doctor.”

“But you couldn’t do it.” A pause. “Why not?”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now.” Another tear spilled down his face. “She’s dead and I’m dead too.”

“She…” Genji shifted his head slightly, showing her that he was listening. She tried to continue, to let him know Angela was still alive but the words wouldn’t leave her mouth. A chill ran up her spine as she spoke. “She was a good person.”

“Good enough to burn to death.”

“How do you know you’re going to die then? Angela is dead because she tried to help you. She’s dead because of you.” Her skin crawled when Genji finally looked away from the window.

“Because the witch is smiling at me in the mirror.”

-

Jesse intercepted Fareeha as she walked into the Sheriff’s station.

“What did you do with him?”

“I drove him out of town.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting but-”

“Amari, there’s something blocking traffic on the other side of town. It’s by the factory. Go check it out,” said Morrison.

Fareeha crossed her arms, regarding Jesse with an unreadable expression. “We’ll finish this later.” She turned back around and left the station.

When she reached the long line of traffic, Fareeha pulled over to the side of the road and walked out. She followed the cars and the sound of people hollering until she found the cause of the jam. Three cows stood in the middle of the road. They blocked both lanes and didn’t seem keen on moving, despite the endless, angry honking directed towards them.

“How in the hell am I supposed to move a cow?” Another scenario she wasn’t trained for. “You three wouldn’t mind _mooving_ for me, would you?”

The cows didn’t budge.

“Not fans of puns I see.” She let out a stream of air through her teeth and stuffed her hands into her pockets to think. She felt a familiar wrapper and pulled out a granola bar. “Snack?” She waved the bar in front of her to no avail.

The crinkling of the wrapper is what finally got their attention. One cow perked up when it saw the naked chocolate chip granola bar in her hand. It got closer, spurred on by the promise of food.

Fareeha stepped back, leading the cow to the side of the road. “That’s it, that’s a good cow.”

The other two cows followed the first one, encouraged by its enthusiasm. By the time all three cows were safely on the side of the road, traffic picked up again.

Fareeha fed the granola bar to the first cow, apologizing to the other two for only having one. As the other cows settled for munching on the grass, Fareeha noticed a bit of blood on one of them. She got closer to inspect the wound. Claw marks.

Now, what happened to you?

She radioed in. “Got some escaped cows here. They were blocking the road. I got them cleared out, but it looks like one of them is hurt. They might have been scared off by a wild animal.”

As she listened to the response, a scream got her attention. She spun around when she heard it again. It was coming from the woods by the factory.

She ran, sprinting faster as another scream ripped through the air. Arriving at a clearing in the woods, she saw a man holding his arm, blood splattered on his jacket. A wolf snarled a few feet away from the man. Its teeth were stained red and it had a paw stepping on the man’s hunting rifle.

In a split second, the wolf lunged at the man, sinking its teeth into his arm again.

Fareeha ran straight toward them, kicking the wolf hard. It whimpered at the contact and let go. The wolf backed up and focused its attention on Fareeha, growling at her in warning. It grew silent, staring at her with unnerving clarity. It walked away a moment later, disappearing into the woods.

“Hey cow whisperer, where the hell are you?” Jesse’s voice carried over her radio.

“I’m in the woods by the factory. We’re going to need an ambulance. Got a man here that was attacked by a wolf.”

She helped the man up while she waited for Jesse to respond. They were halfway out of the woods when he radioed her again.

“Ambulance is coming.”

Once out of the woods, the EMTs rushed to help the man. She met up with Jesse who was busy staring off into the woods.

“You need to be careful Fareeha. There are no damn wolves in this area.” He lit his cigar, keeping his gaze on the trees.

-

The convenience store caught her eye on the way home. Fareeha parked her car in the near-empty lot and jogged inside. She walked past the bored cashier straight to the hair care aisle. She bent down and stared at the bottom shelf. Fareeha was stuck between two colors. Black or brown?

Her hand drifted to the black while she thought it over. It was a vast change from the blonde hair everyone had associated with Angela.

She passed the candy isle on the way back to the front of the store, hearing plastic packaging fall to the ground and someone cursing as they picked it up.

After paying for the dye, Fareeha headed back to her car. She tossed the bag in the passenger seat and saw a woman when she looked back to the window. The woman tapped the glass, apparently wanting to say something.

Fareeha rolled down the window. “Can I help you?”

“I was getting some candy for my girlfriend when I saw your nametag.” The woman pulled out a colorful pack of candy and tugged it open. She got to work eating the rainbow-colored sweets.

“Did you need something from me?” She watched as the woman continued to devour the candy she supposedly got for her girlfriend.

“You got any time to talk?” She finished the candy and shoved the packaging into her jacket pocket.

“That depends on what you want to talk about.”

“Your mother.”

Fareeha eyed the woman. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you around, what’s your name?”

“Sombra. I just got to town this morning.”

For all she knew, this woman could be a secret ax murderer but Fareeha considered the request because she specifically mentioned her mother. “You know something.”

Sombra smiled. “Maybe. Guess you’ll have to talk to me to find out.”

“Tomorrow at the diner. 11 am. You get one hour.”

Sombra’s face fell. “We can’t meet later, like at 7?”

“I don’t know you. I’m not going to meet up with some stranger at night.”

“Okay.” Sombra sighed. “11 is fine.” She turned around and walked away, getting into a car parked a few spaces away from Fareeha’s. She waved at Fareeha and sped off into the night.

-

Fareeha got home, finding Angela playing with Miss Purrfect in the living room. She smiled at the scene.

“You’re back.” Angela stopped playing with the cat and got up from the couch, taking a few steps towards Fareeha. “How… How was he?”

“I got him out of there. Bought him some clothes and a ticket to anywhere.” She leaned against the wall. “He’s convinced he’s going to die.”

Angela frowned.

“What happened between you two?”

“He had an appointment, just a physical. We talked a little and then halfway through the examination, he looked at me and said, ‘No.’” She wrung her hands together. “There was so much blood. Wounds appeared out of thin air as if there was someone there slicing him open. On his arm and his legs, the cuts kept getting deeper. He screamed. He screamed so much.”

Angela ran a hand through her hair, distressed at the memory. “I tried to help him the only way I knew how.”

“And someone saw.”

“A nurse came in,” Angela sighed, “because of the screaming.”

“I talked to him in the car. He told me he made a deal with a witch. In exchange for his life, she sent him here to take yours.”

Angela stilled, worried eyes filling with realization. “Shit.”

“What?”

“There’s only one reason why she’d want me gone.”

“Why’s that?”

“She’s coming soon.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying not to reveal too much but it's getting hard. Some details seem...useless but I promise they're not.


	3. The Problems Keep Growing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter that explains some things and leaves more questions.  
> Enjoy :)

Fareeha ignored the chill that ran up her spine. She needed to stay calm. Her best defense against whoever was coming was a level head. “How soon?”

“I’m not sure. It could be days. It could be weeks.”

“Then maybe we should just leave.”

“Like I said before, I’m here to protect you. It doesn’t matter where you go, she’s coming here for you.”

Hearing that brought the chills back. What in the hell did that witch want with her? “I don’t understand.”

Angela sighed and crossed her arms. “I don’t either.”

Stuck, with no way of figuring out the witch’s motivation, Fareeha let out a frustrated huff of air. “So, she knows that you’re here to protect me and she tried to get rid of you because of it.”

A nod. “She must have sensed it.”

“How did she find out who you were? Could she sense that too?”

Angela laughed. “No. She must have sent someone to find that out.”

A small comfort. “She’s not a know-all, unstoppable being. Good to know.”

Miss Purrfect walked up to Angela’s legs and brushed up against them. She made a small noise to gain the woman’s attention.

“Oh, that’s right.” Angela picked up the cat and scratched under her chin. “Do you think you could help me with something?”

Fareeha pushed off the wall and placed the bag from the convenience store down on the coffee table. “What is it?”

“I need something,” Angela gave an awkward smile, “from my house.”

Well shit. Morrison had that house under 24/7 surveillance ever since the burning. “Do… Do you really need it?”

“It’s important.”

“Okay.” A tired sigh escaped Fareeha’s lips. “Alright. How soon do you need it?”

“Tonight.”

Of course. “Well, at least I still have my coat on.” Fareeha disappeared into her room for a moment and came back with another jacket. She handed it to Angela. “Here, keep the hood on.” She pulled out her car keys and headed back out the door, Angela in tow.

-

They sat in Fareeha’s car, a couple blocks away from Angela’s house. During the drive there, Fareeha came up with a plan to get Angela inside. It involved jumping fences while Fareeha distracted whoever it was tasked with watch duty that night.

“You got it?”

Angela nodded as she pulled the strings to the hood tight. Only her eyes showed throw the tightened hood. Absolutely ridiculous. “How do I look?”

“Like the most adorable robber I’ve ever seen.”

Angela squinted her eyes. “It’s not robbery if it’s my own house. I’m just technically not supposed to be here.”

“Uh huh. I’ll meet you at the house in a bit.”

Angela exited the car and jogged towards the empty field behind her house. Fareeha drove her car some more, stopping right in front of Angela’s house. From one look at the car in front of hers, she knew exactly who was on watch tonight.

The car door slammed shut behind her. Fareeha shoved her hands into her pockets and walked up the driveway, stopping short of the front porch. She nodded to her partner as he adjusted his hat off his face.

“What are you doing here Fareeha?”

A shrug. “I wanted to check out the place.”

Jesse pulled out a cigar and placed it in his mouth. “Morrison said no one goes in. That includes you.”

Fareeha frowned as smoke filled the air. She heard the rattling of the fence in the distance and tensed up at the sound. She had to think quick. Waving a hand in the air, Fareeha forced a cough. “How many times do I have to ask you to keep that shit to yourself?”

“Sorry.” Jesse shifted his chair, keeping the smoke away from Fareeha. “Still can’t let you in though.”

“Why not?”

A shrug. “That’s the order.”

“Morrison won’t know if I looked around.”

“It’s not about that. The house isn’t cleared yet. There’s something here that’s setting off the stones.”

Fareeha crossed her arms. “What could possibly happen?”

“Well…”

“While you’re thinking about that, I’m going to check out the house.”

Jesse sighed but he didn’t say anything to protest. “It’s your funeral.”

Step one down. Fareeha pulled out her flashlight and turned the doorknob. The door opened with no fuss. She looked behind her and felt relief that Jesse didn’t see fit to follow her inside.

Quick steps brought her to the back of the house. She unlocked the door to let Angela inside.

“I was beginning to think you forgot about me,” said Angela.

A smile. “I could never.” She let Angela lead them through the dark house until they stopped in the kitchen.

Angela went straight for the freezer and pulled the door open. She bent down and dug through frozen foods until she found a box labeled ‘fish’. Smiling at the find, Angela opened the flaps, revealing a row of vacuum sealed fish. She tossed the fish back in the freezer and pulled out a black garbage bag. Inside the bag was another bag, this time clear. It had a book.

“Here we go.” Angela put the box back in the freezer and shut the door. She held the book close to her chest and smiled. “We can leave now.”

“You sure you don’t want anything else here?”

“A dead woman doesn’t need her old stuff. It’ll just look suspicious if I take anything.”

Fareeha frowned. “How come they didn’t find that book?”

“To them, it was just a box of fish. If all you find is fish in a box labeled ‘fish’ how are you supposed to know that the fish was what you were looking for?”

“That book did not look like fish.”

“That’s because I touched it. You would have seen fish as well if you touched it.”

“So, the box of fish stays and you get what you were looking for without raising suspicion.”

“Yep.”

Fareeha sighed in relief. “Then let’s go home.”

-

Angela went straight to the kitchen when they got back home. She found the knife drawer and picked the sharpest one. Placing the book on the table, Angela opened it to the first page. She pricked her finger with the knife and let the blood drip onto the pages.

Fareeha watched with curiosity. The pages were covered with dried blood. She must have done that many times before. “What are you doing?”

“This is my spellbook. I have wards set up around most of the town. I keep track of all of them in here, among other things. The blood is to charge them up so to speak. More convenient than going to each one individually.”

“Charge them up?”

“These wards are more temporary. I could have set up permanent ones but magic attracts magic. These are less powerful so I keep them working for however long I need them. Whoever that witch is would have found me earlier if I didn’t do it this way. That would have put a damper on things, considering I recently found out I was here for you.”

Fareeha nodded. She had no idea what Angela meant by anything she said but she went along with it nonetheless. “Then that book was the thing that kept your house off limits.”

“Did they say that?”

“Jesse told me that there was something in the house that had Morrison keeping everyone out.”

“Smart man.”

Fareeha shrugged. She spotted the coffee table from the kitchen and remembered the contents of the bag. “Oh yeah, I got you something.” She ran to swipe the bag and offered the box of hair dye to Angela.

“Hair dye?”

“I know most people won’t recognize you with the haircut but the dye would help you blend in even more.” Fareeha pulled her hand back when Angela took the box. “I mean if you want to dye your hair. I can return it if you don’t want to. I just thought it would be better if you weren’t stuck inside all day.”

Angela smiled. “That’s sweet of you.” She eyed the box, turning it around in her hands. “Yeah, okay. I’ll do it.” She shrugged off Fareeha’s jacket and placed it on the back of a chair. Angela’s grin widened. “I can’t say I’ve done this before. Do you think…”

The question trailed off but Fareeha knew what Angela wanted to ask. “Yeah, I’ll help you.”

-

The next day, Fareeha went back to work with a preoccupied mind. She spent most of the morning catching up on paperwork, grateful for the time to process everything happening.

“Got a call for the other side of town.” Jesse sat down on Fareeha’s desk and pulled out a small bag of chips from his pocket.

“Okay? What are you doing sitting here?”

“I don’t want to go there.”

“And you want me to go instead?”

“Yep.”

“It’s your damn call, you go.”

“How about I stay here and you go. Or I can go telling Morrison you went snooping around that witch’s house last night.”

Fareeha closed her folder and smacked Jesse with it. “You’re an asshole, you know that?”

“Sue me, I don’t like that part of town.” He clutched his left arm and frowned for a second before returning to his snacking.

She rolled her eyes at him but got up anyway. “What’s the address?”

“Fourth house on Birch. Some woman calling about her missing husband.” Jesse stuffed his mouth with more chips. “Says she hadn’t seen him in a couple days. They told her to fill out a report here but she refused to come.”

Putting on her hat, Fareeha grabbed her unfinished reports and headed for her car. She made it to the house fifteen minutes later.

Fareeha knocked on the worn, wooden door. A middle-aged woman opened it.

“I’m so sorry.” She squeezed through the cracked-open door, keeping a hand on the handle. “I should have gotten to the phone sooner. You didn’t have to come out here.” She looked towards the ground, squeezing her bottom lip between her teeth. “Mom has Alzheimer’s so she doesn’t remember that dad’s been… Gone for seven years now.”

An old woman came out from behind the door, tears streaming down her face. “You have to find him.” She pushed past her daughter and grabbed Fareeha by the elbow, pulling her inside the house. “He’s been gone for days now. Out in the forest…” She let go and sat down on the couch, rocking slightly. “He doesn’t have his medication with him.”

Fareeha looked back to the daughter, seeing her tear up as well. She sat down next to the old woman and took her shaking hand. “What’s his name?”

“Danny.”

“Did Danny say he was coming back?”

The old woman nodded. “He said he’d be back soon, that he was going to check out all that noise coming from the forest.”

“Then I think we just have to wait. He promised, right?”

“Yes, he promised.”

Fareeha smiled. “I can wait with you if you’d like.”

The old woman shook her head. “No, no. That’s okay. You must be busy, deputy.” She pulled her hand back and got up from the couch, heading off to another part of the house. “I’ll make some tea for when he gets back.”

As soon as the old woman disappeared, her daughter broke out in a fit of sobs. “I’m sorry.”

Fareeha made her way to the crying woman. “How about we sit on the couch?” The woman nodded, blindly reaching out until Fareeha took her hand. She sat them down on the worn fabric and let the daughter cry.

“I… I was the one who found him.” The woman squeezed Fareeha’s hand to the point her fingertips turned red. “I recognized his eyes beneath all the…” Her jaw dropped and a silent sob escaped her mouth. “All the bodies.”

The pictures on Morrison’s desk flashed through Fareeha’s mind. Danny could have been in any one of them. A tear escaped down her cheek as she recalled the last photo shown to her. Her mother lying cold on a table. She pulled the woman close and let her lean against her shoulder. “Don’t apologize. It’s okay to cry.”

“It’s just, every time she does this I have to remember what I saw.” She gripped Fareeha’s jacket, muffling another sigh with the material. “I miss him so much.”

“I know.” Fareeha gritted her teeth, trying her best not to cry as the woman began to hiccup. “I know.”

-

Fareeha let out a held breath as she parked her car at the diner. She gripped the steering wheel tight and focused on clearing her head. She needed to concentrate on one thing at a time and at that moment, it was whatever Sombra wanted to talk about.

She stepped out of her car and spotted Sombra through the window. Sitting at a small table, Sombra nursed a cup of coffee as she sat slumped in her chair. The bell on the diner’s door rang as Fareeha walked through it. She took the chair opposite Sombra, noting the pile of sugar packets and creamer on the corner of the table, and sat down. Sombra didn’t seem to notice her.

“Sombra?”

Sombra blinked into her cup and yawned. She mumbled something to herself before her eyes widened and she finally looked up. “Shit, is it 11 already?”

“Yes?”

Grabbing the pot of coffee on the table, Sombra refilled her cup, adding more to the small mountain in the corner. She laughed after taking a gulp of the sweet concoction. “Feels like I’ve been sitting here forever.”

Fareeha noticed the darkness under Sombra’s eyes. “Didn’t get any sleep last night?”

A smile spread across Sombra’s lips as she held her mug close to her face. “Nope.” She downed the rest of her drink in another gulp and placed the cup down by the pot of coffee. “Not a wink.”

A waitress came by, politely taking care of Sombra’s coffee mess and offering the two of them a smile. “You about ready to order now? Or will you be getting more coffee?”

“Now that my hot date’s here, I think I’m ready to eat.”

Fareeha went red in the face as the waitress put down two menus. She ordered something quickly just to get the task out of the way. Sombra took her time. She asked questions about most everything listed in the breakfast section before settling on a complicated mix of fruity pancakes, mini cinnamon buns, and a strawberry milkshake.

“Someone’s got a sweet tooth,” said the waitress.

Sombra somehow managed to slump down further into her chair and yawned. “You know, not really. It’s my girl with the sweet tooth and I’m inclined to give her anything she wants.”

The heat in Fareeha’s cheeks intensified as the waitress looked at Fareeha with a knowing smile. Some relief came to her when the waitress left to fulfill their order.

“What do you want?”

Sombra frowned at Fareeha’s question. “We can’t hold off until the food gets here? I’m kind of starving.”

“You wanted to talk and now you want to take your time.”

“I’m looking for something.”

Finally, a starting point. “Looking for what?”

Sombra shrugged her shoulders. “That’s why I came here. I’m not sure what it is. The only thing I know for certain is that your mother had it.”

“And how do you know about my mother and whatever it was she had?”

“I sort of…” Sombra went quiet and set her gaze on the array of syrups set on the table. It seemed that she had no intention of finishing her answer.

“You sort of what?”

“I worked for,” Sombra grabbed the table and squeezed it tight, “the witch.”

Fareeha froze. She sat there staring past Sombra as their waitress came back with their food. She didn’t so much as bat an eye when the waitress asked if she was okay. All she could see was the photo. Her mother lying on that table, one eye missing.

Fareeha stood up from the table when she focused back on Sombra. She took two steps before Sombra reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“Please, don’t go.”

Fareeha balled her fist. “You helped her.” She noticed the sets on eyes on her and lowered her voice. “You helped the one who killed my mother and you thought it was okay to ask me for help.”

“I was stupid. Stupid and in love.”

“With the witch?”

“No.” Despite the situation, Sombra found it in her to smile. “With Amélie.” Her smile grew and she let go of Fareeha’s wrist. “She stole my heart so quick.”

Fareeha could see the genuine, raw emotion reflected in Sombra’s eyes when she finally turned back around. There was more to the story and if she ever wanted to figure it all out, to be prepared for what was coming, she had to let the anger go. Fareeha released a held breath and sat back down. She crossed her arms and stared at her untouched plate. “Go on.”

“Amélie was stuck, bound to the witch. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I made a deal with the witch. I was just thinking about Amélie.” She sighed and picked up her fork, tapping the tines gently on her plate. “I learned later on what would happen if I backed out of it.”

“What was the deal?”

“She told me that she’d let Amélie go in exchange for three favors.”

Some things started to make sense. “You just finished the last favor, judging by your arrival in town.” Sombra nodded. “And it was to find out who Angela was.” Another nod.

“So, she’s okay.” Sombra smiled at her plate of pancakes when Fareeha looked at her again, nodding in affirmation. “That’s good.” Sombra ate a forkful of her meal and swallowed. She tilted her head to the side and shrugged. “I mean, not for Genji.”

The clues were subtle but Fareeha picked up on the fact that Sombra knew they had met. “Is she really going to kill him?”

Sombra took a sip of her milkshake and nodded. “If she didn’t already, he’ll die soon enough. I’ve seen it happen plenty of times to know I shouldn’t fuck around with my deal.”

“What does my mother have to do with any of this?”

“She had something the witch wanted. It was huge, something that could affect everyone. She failed when she tried to get it.” Sombra reached out for the strawberry syrup and drizzled it on her already drenched pancakes. “I figured that if it was that powerful, it could help Amélie with her condition.”

“So, this isn’t about you.”

“Still in love,” Sombra grinned, “just less stupid.”

“I have no idea what it was my mother had. I don’t know how I’m supposed to help you.”

“Oh.” Sombra reached for her bowl of mini cinnamon buns and forked one of them into her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment and spoke again. “Maybe you can look around? Find some writing somewhere. Maybe in a deposit box? Or hidden around the house?”

Fareeha ignored the part where Sombra basically told her that she knew where she lived and considered the request. She hadn’t really done much digging when she came to town, had no reason to. Until now. “Okay.”

“Really?” Sombra perked up, sitting straight in her chair. “You’ll look?”

“On one condition.”

“What is it?”

“Tell me why the witch wanted Angela dead.”

Sombra laughed. “Well, that’s easy. It’s because she’s powerful.”

 

 


	4. More answers, more problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a part in this chapter at the grocery store where a man shoots himself. It that's something you'd rather not read, I marked the part with asterisks. 
> 
> Other than that, enjoy :)

“Powerful?”

“Uh, huh,” said Sombra as she slurped up the rest of her milkshake. She put the cup down and made a little pile with her empty dishes. “One day the witch couldn’t see this town. She got pissed. And she stayed pissed. For months. So, guess who had to come trudging all the way here to find out what the hell was going on?”

“I thought you said finding out Angela’s identity was the last favor.”

“It was. The first favor was to find the source of the interference and install some counter-measures.” Sombra leaned forward and yawned, resting her head on her hand. “Thing was, I couldn’t do anything about those wards. Too strong.”

That didn’t match up with what Angela said about them. “Angela told me those wards were less powerful because they were temporary.”

“Less powerful…” Sombra rolled her eyes. “Maybe for her. But I mean, that would explain why I had a hard time finding them. All I know for sure is that I had to find spots where her protection was weakest, which again, wasn’t easy.”

“So, what were the counter measures?”

“Mm, think of them as little windows.” Sombra plucked a sugar packet from the side of the table and opened it. She made a circle on the table. “This town is Angela’s space. Being that she’s surrounded by her own magic, she’s kind of untouchable.” Sombra picked up a pepper packet and dotted the inside of the circle with the spice. “What I did was place all these little windows for the witch to gain access and do her creepy shit. The more she spreads her power in Angela’s domain the more even the playing field gets.”

“Spreads her power?”

“Yeah, like I said, it’s creepy shit.” Sombra yawned again, like all the details she spoke about was old news. “There are two main ways to get really powerful. The first is a unity with nature. So, a deep connection with the essence that keeps things balanced. Think of Angela as the marshmallows and rainbows of magic. A goody two shoes.”

Fareeha smiled at the explanation. It fit Angela perfectly.

“And then there’s the flip side. A witch can get powerful if they sell their soul to a demon. An instant powerup with some nasty consequences. Their main source of power comes from corruption. Pain, fear, anger, and death. Demons like to prey on those in their weakest moments, offering a way out or a better life. That’s why all witches get a bad rap. It happens too often.”

The forest of bodies made all the more sense and made Fareeha sick to know they were used in the worst way. “So why did she go after my mother if she needed something from her? Why did she have to fucking die?” Fareeha curled her fists, using every bit of willpower to keep herself from slamming them on the table.

“I don’t know.” Sombra straightened up in her seat and averted her eyes from Fareeha. “I’m sorry.”

As soon as things started to makes sense, it all crumbled away. “No it’s just…” Fareeha forced her fists open, slowly laying her palms down on the table as they shook. “I want answers to what happened but most of all, I want none of it to have happened at all.” A warm touch covered her hand and Fareeha felt the tears well up in her eyes at Sombra’s sorrowful smile.

“We can stop the discussion here. There’s more time later to talk.”

“Okay.” Fareeha wanted to know more but she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep composed the longer she listened. “Thank you.”

Fareeha pulled her hands back and reached for her wallet.

“No, no, no. I got it.” Sombra pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket and placed it on the table, not bothering to check if it was the right amount or not. She also wiped up her sugar and pepper mess, dumping it onto her pile of dishes. Her lips twisted in apprehension before she spoke again. “Um, you gonna eat that?”

Fareeha peered at the untouched sandwich and fries on her plate. “If you want it, it’s yours.” She wasn’t in the mood for food after their talk.

“I’d love to take it off your hands but Amélie kind of hates chicken.”

Fareeha had no idea what that meant when it came to Sombra eating the sandwich but she accepted the excuse with no questions. “I’ll just give it to Jesse then.”

As she got ready to leave, take-out box in hand, Fareeha noticed Sombra hadn’t budged from her seat. In fact, Sombra had her eyes closed like she was ready to sleep right then and there.

“Hey,” Fareeha shook Sombra’s shoulder gently, “do you need a ride home?”

“Huh?” Sombra opened her eyes in confusion. She looked around the restaurant and focused back on Fareeha when it seemed she understood what was asked. “Oh. Yeah, a ride would be great. I kind of just walked here since it wasn’t that far from my house.”

“Come on.” Fareeha held out her hand for Sombra, pulling the tired woman up to her feet before escorting her out of the diner.

Like Sombra said, the diner wasn’t far from where Sombra lived. In fact, it wasn’t far from Fareeha’s house either. Fareeha sat in Sombra’s drive-way, arms crossed as she spotted her own house a little way down the street.

“You left out the part where we were neighbors.”

Sombra sat passed out in the passenger seat, unaware of the comment Fareeha made.

Rolling her eyes, Fareeha got out of her car and walked over to the passenger side. She unbuckled Sombra and pulled her out, carrying her bridal style to the front door. Fareeha rang the doorbell with some effort since knocking was out of the question.

No answer.

A quick look to Sombra’s pockets revealed that she had a phone and nothing else. “Did you forget to bring your keys?” Fareeha twisted the door knob, confirming that it was in fact locked. “You’re one of those people that locks themselves out all the time, aren’t you?” No response, but it didn’t take a genius to know that she was right.

With nothing else left to do, Fareeha tried the doorbell again. And again. Over and over until she heard an angry stomping walking up to the door.

The front door flung open, revealing a woman with long hair and a scowl on her face. She had her arms crossed as she glared at Fareeha. At a second glance though, it didn’t even seem that the woman was looking at her or Sombra.

Fareeha stood there feeling awkward when the woman didn’t say anything. “Um, Amélie, right?”

Amélie homed in on Fareeha at the mention at her name. The golden eyes cutting into Fareeha were unsettling, to say the least. “What do you want?”

“I’m pretty sure Sombra locked herself out so I was just checking to see if anyone was home. She’s passed out.”

“You were the one that kept her up this morning. She didn’t want to sleep because she was afraid she’d miss your meeting.” Amélie uncrossed her arms and sighed. “Where is she?”

“Oh um, I’m holding her right now.” Amélie couldn’t see. Was that because of the witch or was her vision like that before? Too personal of a question to ask on their first meeting. “Here, I’ll bring her over.”

Fareeha gently transferred Sombra over to Amélie, relieved that she didn’t have to hold the sleeping woman anymore. She watched Amélie regard Sombra with a slow smile at the way Sombra automatically clung to her. Kind of cute. “You good?”

Amélie nodded in response before she moved Sombra to carry her over the shoulder. “I have one question. What did she eat?”

“Pancakes, cinnamon buns, and a shake. She had coffee too with a lot of sugar.” Fareeha honestly had no idea how Sombra managed to down it all without feeling sick.

Amélie’s smile grew. “She’s too good to me.” She turned away and slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Fareeha alone and confused.

“I’m just…” Fareeha turned around and got back in her car. She buckled herself in before finishing her thought. “I’m not even going to ask about that.” She turned the car back on and drove back to work, shaking her head on the way there. “Nope, not asking.”

-

As soon as Fareeha got back to the station, Jesse opened the passenger side door and buckled himself in. “We got an incident happening at the grocery store.”

Fareeha pulled back onto the road and headed for the store. “What’s going on?” She handed Jesse her untouched sandwich.

“Guy with a gun won’t let anyone leave. Some folks managed to sneak out the back and mentioned he’s not making any demands. Just keeps repeating the same thing over again.” Jesse opened the take-out box and got to work on eating the sandwich. “One of my guys called in and managed to get a hold of him. Apparently, he wants to talk to you.”

They arrived at the grocery store minutes later. The parking lot had cleared, most of the vehicles remaining probably belonging to the people stuck inside. Fareeha spotted some paramedics and the other deputies standing outside their vehicles. One of them approached her car and she rolled down the window.

“He’s still on the phone wanting to talk to you Amari.”

Fareeha nodded and got out of the car with Jesse in tow. She walked to the deputy with a phone held out for her and took it. “You’re speaking with Deputy Amari. What can I do for you to let these people go?” She tried to get a glimpse of the man through the glass doors but the glare from the sun prevented her from doing so.

“Come inside.”

Covering up the phone, Fareeha turned to her partner. “He wants me to come inside.”

“Like hell you are.”

Fareeha returned to the call. “I don’t know if I can do that right now. Is there anything else I can help you with instead?” She never had to diffuse a hostage situation before, but she knew staying calm was key to getting those people out alive.

“Come. Inside.”

A gunshot went off. Fareeha heard screaming from the phone. “I heard a shot go off, what’s happening?”

“Come inside or the next one hits someone.” The call ended.

Fareeha gave the phone back to the other deputy and frowned. “I need to go in there. He’s going to start shooting the hostages if I don’t.”

Jesse kicked the ground and shook his head. “Dammit.” He nodded towards Fareeha’s car. “Get your vest on. I’ll wait by the back entrance and come up from behind him. If you can get him to lower his weapon, even better.”

Plan in place, Fareeha grabbed her vest from her car and put it on. She walked slowly up to the automatic glass door, feeling a rush of warm air hit her as she entered the store.

As she walked in, Fareeha checked for the hostages. She spotted them huddled together near a single register. A man stood off to the side, staring down at them. He spun around at the sound of her approach.

“I’m here. What do you need from me?”

The man seemed distracted, his eyes looking up like he was listening in on a phone call. “Where is it?”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Can you be more specific?” Fareeha noticed his pale face, beads of sweat covering his face indicating that he was either in shock or in pain. His eyes were red, probably from days of no sleep.

“Where is it? Where did you put it?” He still didn’t look at her directly.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what ‘it’ is.”

He got angry, snarling at her response. “We don’t need it. Where is it? We don’t need it!” He screamed the last bit out, frustrated with her responses.

He wasn’t in the right state of mind. “Are you okay? You seem like you’re in pain. Maybe if you let us take care of you, we can get you what you want.”

“We don’t need it! Where is it?” Over and over he repeated the same phrases until finally he stopped and look her in the eyes.

Fareeha felt her blood run cold at his stare.

“A different eye.” Full blown pupils examined her face, making her skin crawl. He seemed displeased with what he saw. “A different eye.” He grabbed a fistful of his own hair and screamed. “Fuck.”

Fareeha spotted Jesse coming in from behind as the man continued to scream. “Whatever it is, I’m sure I can help you with it if you can calm down.”

He stopped his outburst. Tilting his to the side, he frowned. “Just give it to me.”

“I-” Pain ripped through Fareeha’s left arm as the man lifted the gun in and instant and pulled the trigger. She grabbed at her wound, gritting her teeth through the pain.

Another shot rang through the air. The man fell forward, landing on his knees. His mouth hung open after Jesse fired at him.

Jesse came running and stopped in front of the man. “Drop the gun, unless you want to get shot again.”

**The man looked up at Jesse and smiled. “You lived.” He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Figures. Nothing went right that day.” He lifted the gun to his mouth and pulled the trigger.

Screams spilled out from behind the man as blood splattered onto the hostages.**

Jesse lowered his gun and took two steps back. He looked to Fareeha, mouth hanging open at what just happened. The color in his face had vanished.

Calmly, Fareeha walked passed her partner and made her way to the hostages. She bent down, ignoring the growing pool of blood. “Are any of you hurt?” When everyone confirmed that they were okay, Fareeha smiled. “Let’s get you guys out of here.”

-

Fareeha sat in the back of an ambulance and they wrapped up her wound. She felt lucky that the bullet grazed her arm rather than piercing through. A trip to the hospital wasn’t in her plans for the day.

Jesse approached her after he finished talking to Morrison. “How you doin’?”

“As best as anyone who just got shot.”

Jesse smiled a fraction. He climbed in next to Fareeha. “Jack says you can go home and take the rest of the week off.”

“Morrison? Or protocol?”

“Both. He cares about you, you know that right?”

Fareeha sighed. “Yeah, I know.” The EMT finished with the dressing and gave her the okay to leave. Fareeha shrugged her jacket back on, wincing in pain from the fast movement. She hopped to the ground and waited for Jesse to follow. “What about you? You get time off too?”

“Yeah.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I’m going to catch up on my shows and forget this even happened.”

Fareeha nodded in understanding. “You need a ride home?” They both climbed into her car and she started the engine.

“Nah, the station is fine. I need to pick something up.”

On the way back to the station, Fareeha couldn’t get the last bit of the hostage situation out of her head. “That man, did he know you?”

Jesse tensed up. “No.”

“Then what…” It clicked. She pulled over on the side of the road and turned to her partner. “Something’s happening, isn’t it?” She didn’t want to let on that she knew more about the witch than what Jesse and Morrison told her. She needed him to give her a starting point to jump from.

Eyes looking everywhere but at Fareeha Jesse sat quiet and ignored Fareeha’s question.

“Jesse.”

“It’s bad Fareeha.” He looked at Fareeha, fear instilled in his eyes. “The witch that got away, I think she’s coming back.

Fareeha already knew that. She needed him to tell her something new. “What did that man mean by ‘you lived’?”

Jesse looked down. He took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeve, taking off his glove afterward. A prosthetic. “Seven years ago, she took my arm. It happened when she… When she…” He clamped his mouth shut and shook his head. “Sorry, I still have a hard time talking about it.”

Fareeha watched the prosthetic fingers move. She reached out to touch one. “Can you feel that?”

Jesse laughed. “It’s good, but not that good.” He seemed grateful for the change in subject.

“How come you never told me that you had a prosthetic?”

“It’s not something that comes up naturally in conversation. Plus, it’s always cold. I constantly forget I’m missing my arm because I’m always wearing a jacket. You would have found out in summer if I never told you.”

It was Fareeha’s turn to laugh at Jesse’s convenient excuses. She pulled back onto the road and left the conversation where it ended. She could piece together what might have happened. Pain, fear, anger. All of that checked off for Jesse’s missing arm. The witch probably took it in hopes of him bleeding out to check off the death criteria. What really got her curious was the rest of his story, something she’d have to wait to hear.

-

Fareeha got back home absolutely drained. She opened the front door and carefully took her jacket off, hanging it by the door. As soon as she stepped inside the living room, Angela turned away from the TV, concerned eyes looking her over.

“Are you okay?”

News of the hostage situation played behind Angela. “I’ll be fine, just a little scratch.”

Angela frowned at the response. She touched Fareeha’s bandaged arm, running her finger over it in a pattern. “What about now?”

The spot where her wound was felt warm. The pain had gone. Curious, Fareeha took the dressing off and found smooth skin. “What,” she ran her fingers over the spot again, still in disbelief, “did you do?”

“It’s what I do. I’m a healer first and foremost.”

Fareeha smiled. “You’re amazing.”

Red painted over Angela’s face at the compliment. “It’s nothing.”

Fareeha spotted her cat on the couch. Miss Purrfect stretched her body before hopping down to the floor. She made her way to Angela and rubbed against Angela’s legs before meowing.

For some reason, Angela’s blush grew darker. “Oh, hush you.” She froze and looked back to Fareeha with wide eyes.

“Wait a minute.” Fareeha took a few steps back and examined the pair before her. “Don’t tell me…”

Angela sighed. “I suppose it needed to come out sooner or later.”

“You can talk to cats.”

Angela’s mouth fell open as her lips curved into a smile. She giggled and picked up the cat. “No. Well, I mean, this is a special case.” Angela scratched under the cat’s chin, smiling wider as Miss Purrfect enjoyed the attention. “She’s my familiar.”

 

 


End file.
